I can trace my history with Panic! for as long I can with Fall Out Boy. The two bands have long fought for #1 on my favorites list. When one came out with a new CD I would play it over and over until the other band came out with their own. Needless to say These two bands hold a tight place in my heart.

Each time a song came up, I was able to remember all the memories I made with them. One song helped me with a difficult break up. Another song pushed me through finals during school time. Music affects my mood when I listen to it. Because of this, I often pair my memories to music. These songs were relatable for me when I first heard them. Mentions of losing religion, abandoning innocence, struggling to find inner peace… All these and more always hit home hard.

Needless to say, this music was here for me when I had no one else to turn to. It’s one of those situations of being in a crowd and being so alone. And enough with my antsy ramble. The night was too good for all those heavy thoughts!

It was nostalgic for me listening to some songs. Pictures of Los Angeles, Las Vegas and the desert took me back home for the first time in ages. I had forgotten about the heat, the sun, the feel of that grimy LA air and the scent of Las Vegas at night. All these flashbacks and more floated off the stage. It was magical.

Before the end of the show, Brendon Urie, the lead singer, had a few words to share with us.

“Thank you, if it wasn’t for your continuous support then we wouldn’t be here today. We’ve been around for 15 years and never thought we’d be standing here tonight. I don’t know, some of you guys might not even be that old!”

It was another one of those moments where we realized the audience was more teenager than adult… It was funny to leave the venue and see so many parents waiting for their kids. The father and daughter in front of us were so cute. He wanted to take selfies with her and she was having a blast. This father/daughter duo reminded me that there’s never a bad time to share the things you love. And I got to share my love of Panic! with Sander. He was dancing right along side me. He was never a huge fan of Panic! and now he’s listening to the set list any chance he can get.

One of the best parts of the night were when Urie tried his hand at speaking Dutch.

“Hartelijk bedankt! Ik hou van jou!”

This of course was met with thunderous screams of excitement.

“I stayed up until 3am trying to learn some Dutch. Thank you Google Translate!”

I’ve never heard a more relatable sentence in my whole life.

All in all, this sold out show was the best we’ve been to yet. Sander and I are still talking about how wonderful the special effects were. How Urie brought the house down with his voice and more. It’s going to be hard for the next band we see to follow up with their act… Panic! has so far been the best show we’ve seen. It’s going to be a long wait until they return but we’ve got the music in our hearts until then.

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I listened to Bastille a thousand times over when their Bad Blood album dropped in 2013. I’ve been a bit too busy to listen to their 2016 album, Wild World. That didn’t stop me from leaping at the chance to see them live.

It was raining cats and dogs and freezing when we hopped into the car. The Ziggo Dome is a short 30 minute drive from our place. The rain had stopped by the time we had arrived. That in itself was a blessing. We had to park and walk down to the Ziggo Dome Hall. What’s nice is that parking was quick and convenient.

We missed the first act, Akine, but we made it in time to see Lewis Capaldi. His voice is beautiful and haunting but his humor is dark and self-deprecating. I loved every moment of it and now I can’t wait to spend some time listening to his stuff!

After a short pause we finally got to see Bastille. The show was vibrant, smooth and just plain fantastic. The fun thing about Bastille is the non-stop energy they bring to the stage. Lead singer Dan Smith hardly took a moment to rest. He was all over the stage in a bright tie-dye shirt. He called back both of his pre show artists to sing with him on stage. It was moving. He also spoke about his mission to help fun research for breast cancer. You can find more about that here.

Amsterdam was the last stop on the tour for Bastille. I’m more than excited for the new album, Doom Days. No release date on that just yet but they have one song already available. You I recommend you take a listen to Quarter Past Midnight.

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Sander has been a long time fan of Halestorm, a rock band with origins in America. Halestorm was touring California when we were getting to know each other . I remember calling him and telling him his favorite band was in town. He was so jealous that he couldn’t attend. Sander’s wanted to see them live for a long time so imagine his excitement when they finally came to the Netherlands.

We decided to head down to the TivoliVredenburg for their live performance. The trip was about an hour drive and we listened to their CD. I’ve only heard their songs in the car with Sander. I was pleasantly surprised to find that they were amazing live. The lead singer Lzzy Hale has the voice of an angel. She demonstrated her impressive lung capacity by holding various notes for ages!

She bought a lot of passion to the stage and I can see that everyone in attendance really admired and appreciated her never ending energy. The experience was a lot of fun and we will definitely go see them again the next time they return to the Netherlands. I’m glad that Sander finally got to see his favorite band live.

While their music is a little too heavy for me I still really had a good time. The show was also sold out so that was a plus! I love the thrill of attending a sold out show. It’s like being in an exclusive showing!

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We haven’t been fans of Chvrches for too long. I discovered them after moving to The Netherlands. I had been searching for upbeat music to listen to and I found them on Youtube. From that day on both Sander and I have been fans.

They have synth-pop music with vibrant beats and neon hues. I have listened to their CDs on repeat for months now. Their albums have been emotional journeys and I’ve enjoyed the ride. What excites me the most about Chvrches is that they take me back to my childhood. The music my parents listened to was a bit like this band. Chvrches also takes their inspiration from a few noteworthy bands that I remember.

When the chance for us to see them live popped up we couldn’t say no.

Their live performance was out of this world. They’re beautiful live and it was like listening to a CD with blasting speakers. Their energy was top notch too. It was so fun to see the lead singer, Lauren Mayberry skipping around the stage and dancing to her music. Her vocals were spot on and inspiring. And of course between songs the band took time to talk to the audience. Great times all around and I remember laughing quite a bit.

The TivoliVredenburg is a beautiful venue that had plenty of space. I can’t remember if the show was sold out but we got pretty good spots. I was able to see the band better than the other venues we’ve been to. The standing space has a below area and the top area had staggered platforms. Sander stood in front of me this time and I could see well over his head.

We’ve both agreed to go and see Chvrches again if they come out to visit The Netherlands. The last time they came was years ago and they were happy to be back. I’m so glad we took the time to go out and see them because it’s a show we’re not going to forget any time soon.

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The lights dimmed and a beautiful CG ocean popped up on the big screen with a timer in the upper right corner.

The audience didn’t even wait to start screaming. Once the timer had dropped to zero, a voluminous sheet descended and the band emerged from within.

I have three bands that I adore and would follow forever. Fall Out Boy is one of them. I can trace my personal history with them to the song to my high school days. That’s when Sugar, We’re Goin Down literally pulled me out of a bad break up.

Allow me to ramble a bit about my past.

Growing up in America was a strange time for me. I grew up in a household of immigrants who were in the last stages of their marriage. My earlier childhood days consisted of songs from the 1960’s and 1970’s. I didn’t know much outside of those melodies. Most of them were happy and carefree. The moods trickled into my own emotions. If I was depressed about my home life, I could listen to happy music and cure myself.

After leaving middle school I finally began to listen to my own taste in music instead of the oldies my parents played. I think in part it was the internet that opened these doors to me. Two of those bands have stayed with me until now. The third came in a few years ago but that’s a story for another time.

Fall Out Boy’s newest album MANIA made its debut earlier this year and I’ve never been more in enamored. Many of the songs speak of love in its purest form and how often self sabotage rolls into the picture. That’s what MANIA is all about. The whimsical hums and the heart smashing revelations that come with love. MANIA is how to err is human.

The energy was so high for each and every song. Voices rose up and belted out tunes as the band raced from one song to the next. Small breaks where had in between for Patrick Stump, the lead vocalist, to get ready if he needed to. A few songs had a piano and he needed to prepare himself for that.

In those breaks, Pete Wentz, the bassist, spoke to the audience like he was chatting up old friends. He shared a small story with the audience about his son. His son was young and has acknowledgement of how the world perceived him. He was is own person, blind to the pressures of life.

“I wish it was something we had as adults…” Wentz then reconsidered and corrected his words. “As teenagers.”

We later heard on the radio that the audience was much younger than they had anticipated… I believe they were thinking there would be adults but the teens outnumbered us! Wentz went on to say that it would be so nice if we could look in the mirror and just feel good about being ourselves because in the end… We usually end up standing in our own way of achieving something great.

In the middle of the performance, drummer Andy Hurley, rose up on a platform in the middle of the audience for his drum solo. It was so epic, I can’t even find the words to describe it. It carried the beats of several various songs and most of them were so recognizable that people started singing with the beat.

A second platform rose up from the crowd with Wentz on top so that the middle of hall became the stage.

I was so thankful for the use of the TV monitors on both sides of the stage. The Dutch are super tall and since this venue was filled, we were further back for this show than we were in the Paramore one. It was much harder to see over the heads and hands waving but with the TVs in place, I could see just fine.

The night was one I’ll remember forever. I’ve waited so long to see these boys on stage and the time has finally come. What I thought was funny, was when the band left… And the space where the audience screams “ENCORE”… The Dutch had no idea… There was screaming and cheering but I suppose these guys have never seen an American show where the typical response is the classic “encore” chant. Needless to say, I laughed.

I do wish that we could bring cameras into AFAS though. I hate the quality my phone has because it’s so old… but there’s not much I can do about that.

Streams shot confetti into the air at the finale of the show. It was a breathtaking experience. I can’t wait until these guys come back to Amsterdam and AFAS. I’m hoping this will be in a few years with another new and spectacular album out. It’s so good to see that even after all these years… These boys are having so much fun. They too, have had their heart aches and troubled history. In the end, all we can do is turn our faces to the sun and push forward. It’s albums like MANIA that allows me to do just that.

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And then we are standing in an earthquake contained within the walls of our hall. This is what we came for, to listen to Pale Waves.

I discovered Pales Waves off of a Youtube recommendation (who would have thought). I was entranced by Heather’s striking eyes and curiosity got the better of me. I haven’t looked back since then. While my taste in music still hasn’t changed much in recent years, I find myself being drawn to upbeat melodies even if they examine depressing themes. As in my Paramore post, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and the album even though it was about covering up depression and general unhappiness with internal and personal conflict.

The sound of Pale Waves is similar in that sense. There is major inner conflict about love, romance, the lack of self confidence, and finding one’s place in the world. Nothing new in terms of musical themes but I enjoy the execution and how Pale Waves addresses them. Also, the lead singer and the drummer look entirely different from how they sound. I find massive appeal in that.

Pale Waves is an indie pop band that originated in Manchester and began touring in 2017. When I saw they would be coming to a tiny venue in the heart of Amsterdam, I jumped out of my chair and told Sander we needed to attend. No regrets!

Their first album is set to drop later this year and I’m super excited!

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I feel like every live musical experience is the same and different simultaneously. It’s a group of people getting together to support and celebrate culture (because music is a huge part of the human experience). And yet, the experience is unique to each and every head in attendance.

That is the experience we had Tuesday night when we saw Paramore at AFAS Live.

A little background
I had listened to Paramore’s first CD when it had come out but never followed up on what came after. This was for various reasons, one being I stopped listening to the radio so I never heard more of the songs. There were other bands I can truly say I grew up with, but Paramore was not one of them.

However with the release of their newest album, After Laughter, I felt a rekindling of the joy I had with their first release. The sensation was similar to old friends meeting up after a 10 year absence (which is pretty much the last time I had listened to them). There was so much to catch up on, including the hardships endured and emotional challenges of growing up. While I don’t know the band personally, their songs hit home in many ways. Living overseas and having adventures in a new country seem glamorous on the outside but there’s a lot of emotional strength needed to endure.

Sander and I had a conversation about the songs from After Laughter that went somewhere along the lines of him saying “Artists always talk about the the good and bad times huh?”

To which I replied to, “They do, it makes them more human because it’s part of the experience. We all get emotional and we all need ways of expressing it. Society wants us to mask our pain but Paramore spoke openly about it.”

Which is why I related to so many songs on this album. With titles like Hard Times and Fake Happy as being major hit singles, it’s easy to see that Paramore had more than just hard times, they had hit rock bottom and bounced back. It took a lot of effort but there’s hope in that. If they can do it, we can too.

The show
The display and the set experience was out of this world. There were lights everywhere, in every shade and color to match the mood of the song. In the background was a large circular display with even more lights and space were graphical footage was projected to help add color behind the artists.

The feeling of anticipation hovered over the crowded for the break before Paramore took stage but as soon as the lights dimmed… Everyone was screaming. While we find it difficult to hand large crowds, all of that vanished. The volume only escalated as the band came out on stage. They began with a rolling beat that transitioned straight into Hard Times and their energy level spread like wildfire through the crowd.

Songs were belted out one after another with Hayley Williams briefly stopping to talk to the audience as if we were best friends. It was soothing and yet confronting at the same time. No one likes to talk about their problems so openly but here, we were family. I think what will forever be with me is when she said:

“Tonight you are Amsterdam. Even if you aren’t from Amsterdam, you are tonight!”

The set lasted for about an hour and a half before we said our goodbyes. While it felt all too short, the memories of this will last a lifetime. I can’t wait to go back to AFAS later on this year!

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